High Five for Friday

It's Friday! This week sort of flew by, though I have no idea why really since for once we don't have too much going on!

1 // Since I've long given up on beating the current level of Candy Crush, I found a new game to waste all my time on - Two dots!

When in doubt, make squares!

2 // My friend and her fiance just moved into their new home which means Housewarming Party tomorrow! I think I'll hit up Full Moon in Hillcrest for the perfect gift. I'll do my best to steer clear of anything monogrammed. We'll see, they're hard to resist!

3 // Moose is getting a haircut. He's currently in the process of shedding enough fur for what I can only imagine is to create a miniature Moose.

 

Look at that hair! And the weird face! I adore him. I'm thinking either a total buzz cut or maybe a mohawk? Thoughts?

4 // Kimono time - I've been wanting one for awhile and this weekend seems like the perfect time to try and find one. Something budget friendly though - maybe like this Forever 21 find? Fringe is in, right?

5 // Last but not least - EH and I have big plans to get ready for our camping/floating trip next weekend. We've owned a pretty sweet canoe for several years but the poor thing has been hanging up in the garage, dreaming of touching the water again. That's probably a little dramatic but oh well. So weather permitting, this will be my view around this time next week!

Photo Courtesy of www.floatthebuffalo.com

 Hope you're having a happy Friday and have a great weekend!

Fried Chicken and Flying Saucers

EH and I have been trying to be good about eating at home, but we never turn down an invitation to meet a friend out for dinner.

So on Wednesday we ventured to Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken in downtown. The only other time I have been was with EH on a HOT July Friday afternoon where we sat at the bar overlooking the open kitchen and ate off styrofoam plates and watched the cooks do their thing.

This time we slid into a bench and waited for our friend to arrive. 

Gus's is really casual and offers bottled beer and individual bottles of wine - served in your own plastic wine glass! I love it though - something about the old school plastic plaid table coverings and drinking wine out of a plastic cup sort of sets the stage.

EH opted for an Acadia beer - really good! And I hope I got the name right, I'll have to do some digging.

We started out the night with a Southern staple - fried green tomatoes. Which is not only one of my favorite foods on the entire planet, but also one of my most treasured movies!

 

The tomatoes were perfection and the only thing lacking was the prepackaged ranch. If they came up with something on site it would have taken these over the top. But! Still good. We were happy.

EH and I both don't go out of our way to choose bone-in items so we opted for the chicken strips, though our friend got a plate of wings and thighs and said they were amazing.

I opted for the mac'n'cheese and baked beans - and each meal is served with plain white bread, which of course made me quote another cherished movie all during the meal - The Blues Brothers!

After dinner we strolled down to The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium which has tons of tons of great beers on tap and the UFO Club - which tracks what beers you try in order to ultimately get your name on a saucer hung on the wall. Of course we joined!

You can spot all the saucers up towards the top - the different colors indicate how many you've had. We are at a solid one but you have to start somewhere!

I opted for something light, though I can't remember the name. The choices can be overwhelming so I always ask the bartender for their recommendation. Whatever this was, it was delicious!

 

While EH went for something more dark and brooding.

I tried to snap a picture of our friend's but it was terrible as far as iphone pics go. 

If you need a new casual meal spot or fancy some great beer, I highly recommend stopping by either of these places! Might as well hit up both if you find a parking spot downtown.

Cheers!

Lake Happenings

Another busy week/weekend over here!

On Thursday I met a few of my girlfriends from Supper Club. Out of 11 of us it feels like half are expecting or have welcomed little ones so it's hectic trying to all get together. Still, five of us met up at Baja Grill  - a former 2013 Best Food Truck Around the State winner turned corner restaurant in the Heights district. This particular spot has seen a lot of turn over in the past but with food like we had, I see this place finally sticking and becoming a staple. Fresh salsa, guacamole and queso plus unique options for tacos, burritos and more - sounds like your typical Mexican flair but their combinations were different and SO good! I went for chicken and cuban tacos but others sampled the naked and regular burritos and were equally impressed.

The only possible downside at this point is they do not have their liquor license (I believe I heard they are getting it by July though) but you can bring your own wine and just pay a corkage fee. FYI - it's one corkage fee for the entire table. So even though you may each bring a different bottle (what? supper club is not just for food!) they will only charge you the one time. Not a big deal at all (kind of nice to be honest!) so that + great food + great service? Definitely a victory in my book.

But before we hit the road on Friday, EH and I stopped at Taziki's for a "beer lunch" (aka lunch with an alcoholic beverage) - one of my most favorite things!

If you're a Little Rock local I'm sure you've hit up Taziki's. Friday afternoon sitting on the patio with the beautiful weather was the perfect start to our weekend.

Once we made it to Hot Springs, it was a casual dinner out with all the family then Saturday we all assembled to get ready for the boat!

Which included a waterfall..

 

An ombre arrangement of water balloons...which were promptly stolen by the guys to throw at unsuspecting people.

Baby Geese! 

There were seriously SO many geese wading by the dock but it was difficult to get a picture. I blame my in-law's labrador who decided right then was the perfect time to jump in the water!

After a long day on the water it was all about more patio sitting and wine drinking which led late into a night full of conversation, great food and several pool games.

So despite our (well deserved) sun burns, it was a wonderful weekend escape and I can't wait for many more this summer!

And even though it's a day late, hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day! Just for fun, here is one my favorite pictures of my Dad and I from our wedding. Love this guy!

To close, we've made it through Monday so have a happy rest of the week!

More Recent Happenings & A White Chipmunk

Life has been a whirlwind lately! I can't even wrap my brain around everything so let's just do a photo recap shall we?

On Friday we were invited to a rehearsal dinner for some of our great friends at War Memorial Stadium. It was a lot of fun being up in the press box and being able to share in the pre-wedding excitement!

After drinks and dinner and a wonderfully thought out slideshow, we got to head out to the field to play football! Which...I let all the boys do since I was in heels. 

Such a fun experience and I wish I would've snagged more pictures!

On Saturday my Dad and Step-Mom were visiting for the night so we met them for lunch. They honeymooned in Arkansas and so it was pretty fitting for them to revisit on their anniversary! No pictures but it was a fabulous lunch and then we set out for separate celebrations.

In the rain. If you're local, you already know that it's been raining almost non stop for the past few weeks and Saturday was no exception! Rain on your wedding day is supposed to be good luck, right?

I read somewhere to tilt your chin down in pictures. Too far, Rach. But EH looked smashing as always!

We took advantage of the photo booth! 

Not sure who the fellow in the back is but the more the merrier, right?

Sunday was spent recovering and then later meeting some family for sushi. Great weekend for sure! I think we're still recovering this week.

And just because - here is a picture of an albino chipmunk. EH and I catch these little guys and take them to the nearby park (they're tearing up our patio with their tunnels!) but this little guy is elusive. Hopefully we can capture him soon for better pictures!

Hope the rest of the week goes by quickly so we can get to the next weekend!